The legendary pianist Sergio Fiorentino died in 1998
having enjoyed a long-delayed resurgence in his international career.
The overwhelming bulk of the extant recordings, many issued for the
first time or unavailable for years, have been of the solo literature
so it is especially valuable that Concert Artist/Fidelio Recordings
are issuing a number of his concerto engagements – which include, in
addition to this Grieg/Chopin disc, some of the Beethoven Concertos.

The survival of the Grieg is a matter of considerable
value because between the time of this performance and 1993 it didn’t
feature in his repertoire, when it returned for a series of Concerto
engagements in Italy. If anything the existence of this Chopin F Minor
is even more significant; he performed the Chopin E Minor often but
the F Minor hardly at all – in fact this March 1955 performance was
the only time in his entire career that he played it publicly. These
live recordings are supplemented by recordings carried out during rehearsals.
Concert Artist were quite assiduous in doing this – for their recording
of the Liszt Transcendental Etudes patches were used from other performances
and some patching has gone on, unobtrusively, here where necessary.
The masters are therefore in pretty good shape, with applause kept to
a relevant minimum and a degree of clarity helpful to appreciate Fiorentino’s
performances.

The Grieg opens with a thunderous drum roll that really
crashes open in the very resonant acoustic; Fiorentino enters assertively,
closely balanced and miked. This means that the balance is rather askew
with oboe especially but other instrumental material and strands rather
distant. Nevertheless there are some pungent orchestral contributions
from members of the London Concert Orchestra and Fiorentino has the
aristocracy of command that one has come to expect of him. Maybe things
could have gone better orchestrally in the first movement where tension
is inclined sometimes to sag and there can be diffuseness in the strings
with pallid and occasionally indistinct phrasing. In the slow movement
Fiorentino is very careful over articulation, plenty of thoughtful filigree
animates a movement, in his hands, more Intermezzo in spirit than Adagio-attacca.
Some real intensity of phrasing floods the opening of the finale, with
Fiorentino, as ever, quite without ostentation but always with the maximum
of musical intelligence, bringing out unusual lines and voicings. His
delicate treble flecks the line as well – quite delightful. Not everything
comes off however– the end is rather portentous and protracted.

The Chopin F Minor opens in rather peremptory fashion,
quick and rather shapeless, with both Fiorentino and orchestra taking
time to settle down. This they gradually do and as they do so this becomes
a reading that only grows in stature, beauty and refinement, particularly
of course from the pianist. There is an elevated intensity of feeling
in his musicianship that is compelling to hear and the slow movement
is frequently ravishing. The clarity of his passagework – clarity but
not coldness or mechanical efficiency – the control of dynamics from
mezzo forte to piano, the articulation that embraces both passion and
control are all Fiorentino hallmarks, splendidly audible here. He has
the architectural measure of the finale – I’m tempted to think he had
the architectural measure of everything he played – and animates the
music with sparkling runs and moments of cherishable elegance.

Documentation is good and remedial work on the tapes
has been a success, even given acoustical and other problems; Fiorentino
admirers simply won’t hesitate to acquire these precious and rare examples
of him in literature he so seldom performed. Others, more sceptical
– Fiorentino divides opinion as much as, say, Pollini – should certainly
listen, especially, to the Chopin.

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